Friday, August 24, 2007

man looking ahead whilst thinking of the present

Looking through some older images taken in Guilin, Guangxi Province- I discovered - some unpublished work - A paper collector sits on his "biketruck", at the entrance to "Guilin University of Electronic Technology" (from 2006)
photo:mhobbs

triangle - square # 123


triangle, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Guilin - I discovered - some unpublished work - A group of men at the entrance to a narrow "nong tang" (alley) prepare the land for the construction of a brick dwelling. (from 2006)
photo:mhobbs

six


six, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Huaihua - Hunan Province (see this link for more info) - I discovered - some unpublished work - White cotton pants (underwear) hanging on a makeshift clothes line at Huaihua College
photo:mhobbs

24hr service - almost


24hr service - almost, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - Two woman stand at the counter of an almost "24 hour convenience store"
Although North America and most western countries experience both the convenience and disadvantages of 24 hour trading - In China it is still rare - I was lucky this store was very close to my apartment near the center of Hangzhou when I lived in the city during the first 9 months of 2004 - Although it stated in bright neon that it was open 24 hours a day it rarely was open past 11pm on any night.

photo:mhobbs

baby - square # 122


baby, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - A man sits reading a newspaper in a narrow "nong tang" (alley) at the Hangzhou Silk Market" in the center of the city. The bicycle has a small basket on the rear this is used to carry either a very small child or baby. (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs

red power


red power, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - Signs on a wall in a small "backstreet" near the center of the city, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs

slurp


slurp, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - A Policeman having a midnight snack (read 1:14 am) "slurping down" the last of his noodles in a small restaurant on the eastern edge of the city
photo:mhobbs

three - square # 121


three, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Three men sit on the curb of a small "backstreet" in the Zhifu district, with signs 'advertising' that they are looking for work. This street is often crowded with men waiting for "employers" seeking workers.
photo:mhobbs

easy


easy, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

A "motorbiketruck" speeds along a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the Zhifu district
photo:mhobbs

boxes


boxes, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Mail boxes on the outside wall of an apartment building in the Laishan district
photo:mhobbs

character assassination - "da" - big

Sign on the outside wall of a large department store in the "Kai Fa Qu" district, in the north of the city. This character represents the sound for "da" (meaning big or large)
photo:mhobbs

hats on


hats on, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - Sign on the wall of a "construction site" in central Hangzhou, indicating that the "workers" must wear protective hats (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs

single


single, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - A sea of lily pads on the "West Lake" in central Hangzhou (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs

pass - under


pass - under, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - A man rides his bicycle under an "overpass" in the center of Hangzhou, in a rare moment of their being no other traffic - (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs

two - square # 120


two, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Two women stand on the corner of a "small backstreet" in the Laishan district, with a basket of fresh cherries
photo:mhobbs

impression


impression, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

A night "impression" of the moat and one of the towers of the "Summer Palace" in central Beijing
photo:mhobbs

blue block


blue block, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Apartment building central Beijing,/b>
photo:mhobbs

the tragedy of the built environment - square # 119

A man stands outside an group of apartment buildings (one of hundreds of identical buildings) in a small backstreet in the "Laishan" district on the eastern edge of the city
photo:mhobbs

Monday, August 20, 2007

in step - polaroid # 2


in step - polaroid # 2, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Solders of the "People Liberation Army" march toward Tiananmen in central Beijing -

"Beijing" has long excluded whole categories of spending from its defense budget, leading to the rather lame excuse from Gen. Cao Gangchuan, (defense secretary) that China does exclude—ahem—"some funding for the development of equipment" from its official defense budget. Its 2007 budget rose by a massive 14.9 % (the actual figure is unknown - 'of course' ) but it has been estimated to be 350.92 billion yuan, or roughly US.$44.94 billion in 2007 — an increase of $6.84 billion over last year, though experts believe the true figure of China's military spending could be several times the amount that it reports.
In a country that close to three quarters of its people/population still live in abject poverty and isolation from the center of power and with "no voice" within its political system, the question remains "why?"...

photo:mhobbs

portrait # 11 - roasted - square # 118


portrait # 11 - roasted, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

A roast 'sweet potato' vendor stands beside his "roaster" outside a large department store in the Zhifu district in the center of the city
photo:mhobbs

alone


alone, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

A man stands beside his "biketruck" selling fruit, at the entrance to a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the Laishan district in the east of the city

yellow


yellow, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

A young man sits on the tray of his "motorbiketruck", with a load of Banana's, at the intersection of two "nong tangs" in the Laishan district on the eastern edge of the city
photo:mhobbs

camera obscura - square # 117


camera obscura, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

A womam carrying her small child walks by a hairdresser in a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the Laishan district on the eastern edge of the city

red on red


red on red, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Neon "over exposure" at a Chinese restaurant in central Beijing

lines


lines, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

The 'golden roof' of the "summer palace" in central Beijing

/|\ pipes


/|\ pipes, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Three pipes containing sewage, leading into the ocean on an otherwise near pristine beach in the "Kai Fa Qu" district, in the far north west of the city

strawberries


strawberries, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

A woman sits on the side of the road in the "Laishan" district on the eastern edge of the city, selling fresh strawberries. I love the detail in the image, the red scarf, red shoes, red sweater and the discarded strawberries in the background near the wall.

square # 116 - homeless in Beijing # 1


homeless in Beijing # 1, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

A 'homeless man' sleeps on the sidewalk under a freeway overpass in the center of Beijing.
Homelessness in Beijing, like in any developed city is a major problem. This has recently become more of a concern to "Human Rights" groups across the world because of the Central Governments policy of clearing and demolishing houses (many of which are 100's of years old) to make way for development for the 2008 Olympics. Leaving hundreds of thousands of Chinese people homeless and frequently without sufficient compensation. It is estimated that the games will cost China $20bn, making it the most expensive Olympics ever, The Olympics in Beijing is going to be one of the biggest examples of a totalitarian regime taking away people’s possessions in the name of self-glorification. Remarkably, for a country with little free speech, the protests are getting louder. Evicted people have been lighting themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square, and petitions and anonymous internet protests have been multiplying. Despite the imprisonment of Ye Guozhu – a housing rights activist who was imprisoned after applying for permission to hold a mass protest against the forced evictions – there are some flickers of progress. The government has issued a series of promises and reforms. Only time will tell if these reforms materialize or are just empty promises to satisfy the ever growing numbers of angry voices.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

x


x, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

rust on the side panel of a truck, parked in a small backstreet in the Laishan district
photo:mhobbs

loading...


loading, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

In the early morning as I exit the station, two men load parcels bound for Beijing onto a train at Yantai Central Railway Station, in the Zhifu district
photo:mhobbs

mao & friends # 1


mao & friends # 1, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Crowds gather to look in awe at the "great dictator" - Looking down at the passing 'masses' the iconic portrait of Mao above the entrance to the summer palace in central Beijing
photo:mhobbs

mao & friends # 2


mao & friends # 2, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Looking down at the passing 'masses' the iconic portrait of Mao above the entrance to the summer palace in central Beijing
photo:mhobbs

seven - wide # 9


seven - wide # 9, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Seven men lifting steel pipe from a cart in a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the center of Beijing
photo:mhobbs

watchers


watchers, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Sitting inside the "hard seat" section of the Shandong bound train, two men watch as 'my train' departs, heading to Beijing
photo:mhobbs

almost through


almost through, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Eating at a small restaurant at the intersection of two "nong tang's" (alley's) in the Laishan district on the eastern edge of the city
photo:mhobbs